1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a smoking material or tobacco substitute.
2. Related Art
The harmfulness of tobacco to health has been discussed hotly. Usually the habit of smoking is difficult to be broken. Therefore, in an attempt to reduce the harmfulness of tobacco to health a variety of improved filters have been proposed. Cigarettes which are modified to draw air in and qualify the smoke, are marketed. Also, a variety of nicotine-free tobacco substituets have been proposed. These are made of tea leaves, Japan cedar leaves, pine leaves, corn silk, orange peel, Japan knotweed leaves, lettuce or partially oxidized cellulose resulting from purified pulp. These substitutes, however, are less pleasing in appearance, taste and flavor. No tobacco substitute is pleasing enough to serve in place of tabacco.
In view of this the inventor had engaged himself in finding any smoking material or nicotine-free tobacco substitute which can be prepared in the form of cigarette, and can be commercially available at a reduced cost all the time, and finally the inventor found that dried lees remaining after pressing the juice from pineapple pulp is appropriate for the purpose.
Pineapples are a tropical plant, particularly a perennial grown in the tropics, producing a single fruit for each plant. In Philippines, Taiwan and other Southeast Asian countries, Hawaii and Caribean coast, pineapples are cultivated at a large scale, and a large amount of pineapples are exported as raw fruit. Also, pineapple meat is canned and exported. Otherwise, pineapples are pressed to remove the juice, and bottled juice is exported.
A large amount of factory product is exported. Accordingly, a large amount of lees remaining after pressing the juice from pineapple pulp result. Almost all lees are thrown away, and only a minor part is used as feed.
The inventor carried out an analysis of dried pineapple lees to find that they have essential ingredients of substantially same ratios as dried tobacco except for nicotine. Also, the inventor found that a conventional method of producing cigarettes although somewhat modified, can be applied to pineapple lees. Cigarettes of pineapple lees look like tobacco cigarettes in appearance and color, and they burn like tobacco cigarettes.